Posts found under: surgery

Just when we thought we had the music tastes of our feline friends all figured out, new research comes out that makes us rethink our notions.

According to research conducted by veterinary clinicians at the University of Lisbon in Portugal, cats prefer classical music when they are undergoing surgery. Given that the other choices were pop and hard rock music, the option of classical music sounds logical, doesn’t it? When given a stressful situation, we think classical music — in this case, Barber’s “Adagio for Strings (Opus 11) — can be comforting.

According to Time.com: “The results showed that the cats were in a more relaxed state (as determined by their lower values for respiratory rate and pupil diameter) under the influence of classical music, with the pop music producing intermediate values. And perhaps unsurprisingly, listening to AC/DC while being spayed induced “a more stressful situation.”

What we find a bit confusing is that we recently learned that cats actually do not prefer human music. They prefer their own brand of music that is more aligned with their heartbeats and shrilling vocal range. Oh well, perhaps there is still hope for humans and cats to share their musical tastes with each other!

The Music Junction offers piano and voice lessons at our Burbank and Hollywood locations. Call us today to learn more.

Next time you’re in pain, skip the medicine and slip on some headphones.

A study at Northwestern University followed 60 children (from 9- to 14-year-olds) who were in the hospital following a surgery. Doctors allowed one group of pediatric patients to listen to any music of their choosing (pop, country, rock) while a second group were allowed listen to audio books and a third group sat in silence with noise-cancelling headphones.

The children who listened to at least 30 minutes of music or audiobooks reported feeling less pain while those who listened to nothing experienced no reduction in pain. Given that powerful painkillers can cause breathing problems in young children, the medical community is always in search of ways to alleviate pain for their youngest patients. The latest discovery can be a powerful tool.

Dr. Santhanam Suresh, a professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics told HealthDay News: “There is a certain amount of learning that goes on with pain. The idea is, if you don’t think about it, maybe you won’t experience it as much. We are trying to cheat the brain a little bit. We are trying to refocus mental channels on to something else.”

The Music Junction offers piano and voice lessons at our Burbank and Hollywood locations. Call us today to learn more.